Enbalmed, On Display Aboard a Honda cbr600?

Not Your Ordinary Wake!

22 year old biker in Puerto Rico, dead of a gunshot wound, has the local mortician do a pump 'n' prop, almost like an oil change.. drain the old fluids, pump in some fresh stuff, roll the bike into the viewing room, bend him into shape, & that's entertainment! The dude actually looks as if he's about to take off down a side street.. It all boils down to how bad you want to be remembered when your time is up, and by golly, we think this idea is a memorable one, indeed!

This is a viral vid circulating like crazy... Go online and type in "Dead Biker Riding". Some people never get enough of the open road. If that sounds like you, line up a renegade mortician, and let the good times roll!

Choppers: Metric or American?

Sometimes it's not easy to tell the dif:

ABM spotted these fine examples of what can be made out of a standard, old beat up metric cruiser. At first glance, many of us wouldn't be able to tell the difference between these bikes and a harley-based chop.

Last Icy Blast Hits ABM Listeners in Vermont--Metric Chopper Explosion!

What th'...?

ABM's WDOT radio listeners woke up to 34 degrees and up to a foot of snow in the foothills surrounding Burlington, Vt this morning! Our northern New York affiliates, Watertown's WSSN, plus WVMT and WMXR in Plattsburgh probably drank some hot chocolate, too.
Nothing says "sucky" like a foot of white ground when your old lady has the cage. Use the choke, dudes. Looks like they could bounce back into the 80's this weekend. Payback will be sweet..Cold even in Florida.. we'll be lucky to hit 70 today. Global cooling? Weird.

Coming Tomorrow: Attack of the Radical Metric Choppers!

Depressed because your canvas isn't a Harley? Maybe no problemo.

Shop Dudes Rag on the ABM Dude:

...This is what I get for dropping in to the shop this morning...

"Slash", drops what he's doing, in order to tell me I have a new biker name: "Shakey".

















































ABM: Why "Shakey"? Slash: Because we had to endure three minutes of vid with you shaking like an ak-a-holic...wit the d.t.'s... ABM: Maybe if you b------ds made the ride down through the hornet infested slow-cala national forest, an' picked up a couple of bee stings, you'd be shakin' too? (no respect, dude, no respect. you get used to it, though..)

Leesburg Pics--Rats Hole-

Leesburg '10-including gratuitous bikini shot.. more as we sort out the bikefest pic's..(flag bike is a 1928 Indian Scout...yeah, i know)

Bigger than '10 Daytona? Maybe...

So.. how big is it?

Four pm yesterday, (Sat), we'd have told you this year's Leesburg Bike Fest, in terms of the sheer numbers of bikers, was bigger than Daytona Bike Week 2010. Bikes were neatly parked along the street at least a mile on either side of the center of town. Jaded arriving bikers were jaw-dropped, repeatedly saying.. "did you see all those bikes?" ABM gave up our coveted shaded parking spots to do a drive-through with the vidcam wide open all the way, that was, until we figured out it would take an hour to turn around, and go back through town. With 10 minutes of record time left, it couldn't be done.

More bikers everywhere this year:

The bars, for instance, the Rat's Hole air conditioned bar was like an oven, so many bikers, you couldn't see either bar, the stage, or anyone beyond the first dozen people. Main street filled up, and the crowd overflowed to the adjacent Magnolia street, which became a strolling 20 foot wide sidewalk. The cops never came out to yell for everyone to get back on the sidewalk, in fact, we saw far fewer law enforcement professionals yesterday, probably absorbed by the crowd, and as of this posting, we have not heard of a biker fatality. In fact, there has been no news of even a serious mc-related mishap. Throw a party for 300,000, and no one gets hurt? Dude!

Jeff, more than last year? Bigger?

ABM is here every year. We can say without a doubt, this year's Leesburg Bike Fest will go down in history as the biggest ever. Noticeably bigger than last year. Likely bigger than spring bike week at Daytona. Hell, yesterday's crowd would give Sturgis a serious run for the money! (does that do it for ya?)

Worth repeating: If your town wants a successful bike event, give us our own space with no damm cages, be nice to us, relax on the "enforcement" part of the law, and you, in turn, will gain our respect. Why this is such a problem for other cities puzzles the bikers. We're thankful for Leesburg.

Vids below: More on the way..we overloaded the little laptop w/footage. Will sort it out at the compound in order to get to you, the motorcycling public, much needed stills and vid's of one of the (dare we say it?), the top three Bike Fest's in America!

This one doesn't do it justice. You get the idea.. watch for more crowd shots soon..

C

Then there's this 8-point turn. Choppers entering the Rat's Hole Show yesterday.

Packed in like sardines in hot sauce...

Yesterday's Leesburg:

Hot 'n' dusty, dry, crowded, loud, in other words, very enjoyable. The 6am breakfast crowd was replaced by a younger contingent of bikers, arriving at the lunch hour, the prime time to find a coveted parking space in the shade, as the geriatric two wheelers move on to the Golden Corral. This area of Fl is stuffed to the gills with retirees.

We have some great still shots, but you'll have to wait until ABM rides back to the compound where we left the connecting cord for the nikon coolpix. Swear we can't leave on a ride where nothing is forgotten. I hear this is a common problem among bikers.

Hope you enjoy the vids, especially where the weather is lousy this weekend. Good riding is just around the corner for all..meanwhile, here's a little taste of Florida, and yeah, a bikini shot.

Local MC Journalist Dies:

ABM is very sad to hear of the passing of "Monk".

56 years is not enough time for a man with so much to live for. We'd heard Monk hadn't been feeling well, but never guessed it was the c. The family requested motorcycles only for the funeral, and that bikers rev their engines as the casket was lowered into the ground.

ABM has been on the road this week, expecting to spot the couple at one of the magazine's many Leesburg related events until a biker we interviewed told us of the tragedy, and yesterday's funeral.

Monk had a storied life. A retired Army Gulf War vet, past writer for EasyRider magazine, he never forgot how p-o'ed he was at having to judge a "ride in" bike show where bikes were being delivered in trailers. We'd laugh, and wonder what so upset him, it was just a contest, but that's the kind of straight up dude Monk was, he told it like it is, and didn't have much time for plastic.

To his wife, Tammy, better known as "Boots", their children, and the grand kids Monk so loved to spoil, our sympathy.

While you were sleeping, they were parking..

They Must Get Here At Dawn..

Only a few crappy parking opportunities at 8am, on a Friday..you'd do better on main st in Daytona. Half of the vendors are still sleeping. Build it, and they will come. The breakfast vids say it all.

Beautiful Wx Greets Arriving Bikers

Change.. we can live with?

Man, after freezing our baseballs in Daytona, getting creamed by baseball size hail in Sturgis, sure is nice to leave on a 300 mi trip without even a thought of packing a rain suit. Rest of week, clear, 80's. Only downside was getting out of the home town without colliding with a text crazy cager. We took it easy riding down through the Ocala National Forest, stopping a couple times to eat, and wash down the dust. Didn't see any wild turkeys or peacock this year, but the trip is young!

Speed Traps?

The bar girl warned us about going "five over" along US19 through Eustis, where it gets down to 35mph. Seems to be happening all over the country as little towns scramble to find money to support their infrastructure. Bikers headed south to Leesburg, or headed north for a ride through the wild forest, take your time in the populated areas.

ABM severely reduces Gulf of Mexico Oyster population:

Nothing beats a fresh, succulent, lightly floured, deep fried oyster, unless it's....90 deep fried oysters, the number of 'em we killed during an all-you-can-eat bout at ten bucks a person, the Thursday special at Cedar River Seafood, on 441, a no frills, joint. They were so good, and came to the table so quickly, we left the chick a ten buck tip, worth every penny. Problem is, this morning I kinda feel like crawling into a shell to filter out some water...

Quite a few bikers got here before us, and the local joints are already cooking up bbq, drink specials for the arriving bikers. What ever your pleasure, we encourage you to support the downtown scene with some of your discretionary bucks. The whiskey, beer, sodas, water, burgers, sausage, kabobs, fish, Mongolian bbq, turkey legs, piles of peppers & onions, taco salads piled high on the plate, corn dogs, pizza, fried grouper, gyro wraps, french fries, ice cream available in Leesburg's town center support the rally, ie, the city. We plan on sampling some of the above today after we work off them oysters.

Free Entertainment:

First of dozens of bands cranks up at 10am this morning, on one of six stages located throughout about a 10 block area, so at any one time, three or four stages will be active, while two or three are setting up for the next band. All kids of music, rock, country, oldies, everything but elevator music. There's a wall of death, trial riders, poker runs, free pancake breakfasts, wet tee shirt, tatt contests, and the Rat's Hole bike show..you get the idea.

More vendors than Sturgis, Daytona?

If you're talking one centralized area, where you can stroll, the answer is yes. A massive area just downhill from city hall has more vendors in one area than any other bike fest we've seen. At first glance, it looks like hundreds. They wouldn't be here if there was no money in it. 300,000 arriving bikers is a very strong draw.

The best part...

Being around hundreds of thousands of Americans who think just like us. People who like bikes, and bikers. You can't put a price on that, and you can't get enough of it.

What's up today?

Going out to capture the elusive pic, a few more interviews, maybe a video or two of some of the stuff going on. We'll get some shots of the massive crowd expected to line both sides, plus two rows right down the center of main street, six whole blocks...it's a sea of bikes, parked Sturgis-style. The word "impressive" is a mass understatement.

Leesburg Bike Fest Coverage Begins Tmw!

What you won't find in Leesburg: This sign!

Pretty confining, huh?

This is the sign which greeted us at Hulett, Wyoming, home of "no panties Wednesday".. Implies that any pantiless woman will be thrown into the cooler, and forced to part with $750.00.

ABM listeners describe the annual Leesburg bike fest, about an hour's ride north west of Orlando, as one of the sweetest, most mellow, and free 100,000+ gatherings of bikers anywhere in America. (the last couple of years, bikers have topped 300,000 in attendance.) Bikers are welcome with open arms by local citizens. On Sunday morning, elderly folks leaving church services, stop to smile, say "hi", and tell us how nice it is that we're here. What?? Yeah. No lie. They actually like us, and in return, we do our best to not let them down. What a concept. Leesburg's a "Sturgis-style" rally with bikes only for almost 6 full blocks. They park 'em on both sides, and front to front right down the middle of the street, and yes, on Sat/Sun, you'd better arrive before 9am, or be prepared to do the back 'n' forth for a half hour. It's a long walk to the center of town from the outback parking. For a good time, not a long time, bikers will be arriving throughout the week, with the bulk hitting the beautiful downtown bricks on Friday-Saturday-Sunday. See you at the oyster bar.

ABM's coverage of the 14th annual Leesburg, Fl Bikefest begins tomorrow on our nationwide affiliates. If our show isn't yet on your favorite radio station, catch all of the fun here:

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Md Cops vs Sport Biker: "Don't tape me!"

Is this a slippery slope?

Last Thursday, Maryland state police busted a sport biker, surprising the dude with an unmarked patrol car. "Get off the motorcycle, get off the motorcycle, get off the motorcycle...State Police!" The biker says he immediately complied, but initially was concerned for his life, as they didn't yell "police" first, instead of last.

The biker had (what we think was a helmet cam) running all the while. Some time after the traffic stop, he decided to upload his vid to Youtube.com, and this is where it gets ugly. The cops went ballistic, paid the dude a visit, informing him that Maryland is a two-party consent state, and he had illegally taped the stop-cop, potentially exposing himself to a felony charge. Local tv outlet WJZ says charges have yet to be filed.

Here is our question, and we think it's a legitimate one:

Our law of the land is based on how a "rational man" would view this situation, so we wonder, why, if they can tape us, we can't tape them.

Two scenarios may be at play here: (1) The dude posted the vid on Youtube, and (2) They say he was busted for doing a 100mph wheelie. (100? that's all? -- hey, it's a joke!)

Especially in honor of "Green Jacket" Week:

According to a recent study:

(1) The average golfer walks about 900 miles a year.

(2) Another study found that golfers drink, on average, about 22 gallons of alcohol per year.

(3) That means, on average, golfers get about 41 miles to the gallon, 3mpg better than your average Harley-Davidson motorcycle!

Bought a bike last year? Is it elegible for a tax deduction?

American Recovery & Reinvestment Act provides relief for motorcycle buyers:

For mc's (and some other new vehicles) purchased between late February and Dec 31, 2009. Realized savings come as a reduction to taxes paid in during the calendar year. Most, if not all motorcycles, are covered, including mopeds, scooters, and regular vehicles, subject to a weight limitation.

How much can I shave from my tax bill?

For simplification purposes, let's say your local sales tax rate is 10%, and you bought a new bike during the eligible period for $20,000, that's 2 grand in sales tax, which would bring down the amount on which you pay taxes on your 1040 form by $2,000. If you're in the 25% bracket, that's about $500 less than you would have wrote your IRS check for. Certain excise taxes may also be deductible, and no, you do NOT have to itemize to achieve this deduction, but certain income limits apply for you rich suckers.

Disclaimer:

ABM is not an accounting firm. For the official bulletin, prepare for glassy eyes, and go to www.IRS.gov, or a local firm providing tax advice. A less expensive, less time consuming way is to buy a tax prep CD, and use your computer. It's very easy. We like HR Block's Tax Cut.

To ABM's Listeners in Huntington, and Charleston, West Virginia:

Seeing a tearful lady clutching a framed picture of her loved one, while waiting, outside an entrance to the Massey Co. mine about broke abm's heart. Words cannot express the degree of sorrow, and our sincere condolance for ABM listeners at WZZZ-FM, and for the family of coal miners throughout West Virginia.

jeff ryan

Hey, got a second...or ten?

Are my local TV stations proactive or reactive in reporting mc mishaps?

Cager pulls right out in front of sport biker who was returning from... a motorcycle safety class?

Local television reporters spend 5 minutes describing the "carnage", interviewing "instructors", and maybe, one or two "riders". Of the three stations I watch, one tv anchor was forthright in advising us that it was... "probably a good idea to leave the motorcycle at home". Hey, if I need another opinion on riding my bike, I'll just squeeze your head. How about instead of telling us to "take the car", you spend some of that time advising cagers to "LOOK TWICE, SAVE A LIFE." Inside of that useless five minutes you spent denigrating our sport, you could have run a total of 30 ten second announcements, advising our number one nemesis, cages, that they should be on the lookout for us. Would it kill you? You're killing us by not addressing the cause of most motorcycle accidents, CARS, not if the rider was wearing a helmet or not.

It this was any more stupid, we'd have to wear a helmet to watch the news...

5, 50, 500 miles? Get out and ride!

That, or go psycho!

You have honey-doos, mom in law is in da house, along with nieces and nephews you didn't even know you had: At some point, you have to crank up the putt, and get away! Stick around, and you may be given an apron or handed a rake.
Escape now!

Who gets your kidney? All three of 'em. Divide it into equal portions..


Shakin' off all them oysters..

No, we didn't quite kill the whole bushel. About 3 dozen survivors. Of all the thousands and thousands of oysters which have passed the gates of the kid's pearly whites over the years, this bushel was so tasty, the act of knockin' them down had to be illegal somewhere, and likely is, especially when and if the stupid food and drug admin gets it's way and forces the fish houses to flash freeze them prior to sale. That will double or triple the cost of a bushel, drive customers like me away, and the some of the hardest-working commercial fishermen in the world, out of business, and for what? The whim of people, most of whom have likely never even tasted an oyster, sort of like the sausage making process involved in cranking out unnecessary motorcycle laws.

Oysters 'n' Hot Sauce? Yeah Baby!

Deep Down in Florida: Last Oyster Chance?

Record breaking-never-seen-unreal 106 consecutive days of below 80 degrees. This is the first time we've been riding in tees here since before Christmas. This time of year, Oysters are at their peak. As the water warms, they get all nasty, and it's illegal to take them in the summer. Thanks to polluting septic tanks, the last of the oyster beds in my area have been shut down for good, so now instead of taking the boat to some out of the way shoreline, it's a trip way out to the redneck grocery store for a bushel. $32 gets you a big old burlap sack of single, whole, so called "select" slimeys, local slang for oysters and when in season, king fish. The oysters are only slimy if you suck 'em down raw. Back in the razor 'n' tie era of the 1980's there was a nearby bar where the c-----e cowboys would snort 'em raw, up the nose. Yeah, I know.. We prefer a big old charcoal grill, about the size of a 50 gallon drum, tin foil covered cookie sheets, and bake at 500 until they pop open... Dip the little (and sometimes large) suckers in melted garlic butter, cocktail sauce, or hot sauce, over a cracker or chunk of home made bread, and brothers and sisters... it don't get no better. This will be a good day. Anyone want to bet we can't kill a whole bushel?

Jessee James, "Dog Fighter"?

We can only hope he doesn't have some Vick in him:

Yeah, we're animal lovers. So what?

Many moons ago, back in my home town, there was a kid my age who would catch baby pigeons, tie them up by their legs, and leave 'em hanging upside down, to die. It was sick then, it's sick now. The dude was incarcerated for an unrelated crime, I have no idea where he is now. Six feet under would do just fine. Any man is innocent until proven guilty. We'll reserve judgement for when the real Jesse story surfaces, and when there's money involved, believe me, the truth will emerge sooner or later. For now, just in case, be happy you don't own a $100k West Coast Chopper.

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